Atonement's Echo
by Sokai
Summary: Some wounds may never heal. Some tears may never cease to shed. And sometimes, one who was formerly lost may never truly return. Regardless, one young woman continues to hold onto hope as another sinks deeper, and deeper into despair. . . .
1. Prologue

**Atonement's Echo**

**By: Sokai**

**Disclaimer:** I, Sokai, do not claim ownership to the workings of "Tin Man," an epic re-imagining of L. Frank Baum's _The Wonderful Wizard of Oz_ -- I leave that honor for this three-part television miniseries up to RHI Entertainment and Sci Fi Pictures original films (and Steven Long Mitchell as well as Craig W. Van Sickle for having written the teleplay). However, I can and DO claim to own this story and its inspired ideas FROM said miniseries.

Note: _Anyone else (who reads my stories, anyway, and so therefore communicate with me regularly) watch this "miniseries television event?" I did, and obviously I loved it. LoL I could never really enjoy/stand T.W.W.O.Z., with all due respect to Mr. Baum, so it was a joy to see such a drastic re-imagining of his classic tale. That is, more so "whispers" of it, since the rest of the tale was completely original. ANYWAY. It was a joy to watch and reminded me so much of Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and even Harry Potter and the DCOM version of TWitches. LoL Y'know, just epic adventure sort of stories, I mean. Only complaint was the literal-literal ending, how abrupt it was and a bit dissatisfying. Ah, well._

_Anyhow, my fave charrie was Azkadelia, in truth, and I kinda liked that it was originally believed she was evil by heart/nature, but either way, I still enjoyed her (and Kathleen Robertson's portrayal of her). Which is why my brain immediately began to formulate a brand new adventure focused upon her and the aftermath of DG's journey/tale._

_I don't know how far I'll get or if how it is in my head will unfold just as neatly (since there ARE quite a few things that were established within the miniseries that was a bit "overwhelming" to keep up with – so I'll probably unfortunately have to watch, re-watch and literally "study" the thing to make sure I remain true to everything), but for now I'll post what I can._

_Oh. And if you HAVEN'T watched it (or even heard of it or that it was to be aired this past Sunday), you can catch all three parts back to back to back on the Sci Fi channel, of course, at 5 pm (Eastern) on Sunday. OR, just watch it on the website any time you wish for free:_

_h t t p / w w w . s c i f i . c o m / t i n m a n / v i d e o / i n d e x . p h p ? P a r t 1 & C h a p t e r 1_

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This story/prologue was created/written in December 2007.

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The two suns of the colossal land of the Outer Zone, or the O.Z., slowly began to set, its glorious, magnanimous light gradually giving way to the oncoming darkness that would gently blanket the kingdom.

It was an honestly _welcomed_ darkness, in contrast to the permanent shroud that would have befallen every last extraterrestrial inhabitant mere hours ago, courtesy of the neutral and mystified Emerald of the Eclipse.

But thanks to the valiant, steadfast efforts of D.G., peace would soon return to the O.Z.

In truth, D.G. could not have gotten through her journey in the first place, had it not been for her companions who had accompanied her along the way.

The recently reinstated Royal Advisor, Ambrose (or "Glitch," a nickname he'd adopted in reference to the drastic reduction in his synapses, after half of his brain had been removed for vile purposes); former "Tin Man" authority figure, Wyatt Cain; the erstwhile timid but continuously kind and loving anthropomorphic empath, the "Viewer" Raw; and later on during the last leg of the journey, the shape-shifting magician, Tutor (or "Toto," as D.G. fondly referred to him).

Yes. It _had_ been quite the epic adventure in a mere three days, one so drastically life altering and full of danger.

However, in spite of it all, D.G. would have never dreamed of foregoing anything that had occurred. Because it was going through them that she'd discovered all of the strength, wits and courage needed to believe within herself to survive and keep going.

To keep going until she'd rescued her older and only sister, Azkadelia, from the clutches of the villainous specter, the Evil Witch of the Dark, thus reinforcing the decade long hope that their mother, the Queen, had managed to hold onto while imprisoned.

And now, _finally_, a breath of relief could be had by the entire Royal Family now that peace would undoubtedly return throughout the O.Z.

Or, so it was the assumption. . . .

After the remainder of the otherwise chaotic day had been spent making official proclamations of the disbanding of the Longcoats and others who had been Azkadelia's henchmen, beginning _positive_ repairs to the Tower and rekindling slightly lost emotional bonds.

Exhausted, and understandably so, D.G. had finally excused herself from her unavoidably estranged birth parents to retire for the evening. Admittedly, she'd found it strange to walk throughout the darkened Tower freely, without fear of being seized by one of her sister's former soldiers, let alone about to slumber within it.

But she had to remind herself that there was absolutely no cause to fret over anything negative any longer.

Smiling softly to herself at the thought, D.G. walked leisurely down the slightly creepy hall, heading to the bedchamber Azkadelia had earlier suggested she make her own, before a new thought had come to her.

_This is my first time sleeping underneath the same roof as Azkadelia in years . . . and we were evidently pretty close when we were kids, based upon the memories I'd finally recovered . . . So I don't think she'd mind if I popped into her bedroom to say goodnight . . . and maybe engage in "Girl Talk" if she's up to it_, she mused within her mind with a soft chuckle, turning within the other direction to seek out her older sibling and companion. _I __hope__ so, anyway, since she was in such a happy mood throughout dinner. _

And this truthfully surprised and amazed D.G., given that had it been _she_ who had been forced to become the host of an unwanted specter, she probably wouldn't be able to smile for months on end, let alone feel like herself again.

_But that's because Az is so much stronger than I am. So much __braver__, too. Even though she was possessed by the Evil Witch of the Dark, I'm sure she'd nonetheless managed to hold onto the hope that she'd be freed one day -- __That's__ probably why she's been so ecstatic all night_, the raven haired princess silently rationalized to herself as she'd arrived to the bedchamber of the older woman in question. _Everything's definitely going to be just fine from now on._

Knocking softly upon the heavy, dark door, D.G. gently called out, "Az? It's me, Deege. I just wanted to come and say goodnight."

Awaiting patiently for a response and admittance into her older sister's private quarters, D.G. raised a delicate eyebrow in curiosity when she was only met with continued silence. Piercing blue eyes narrowing a bit as she lightly began to frown in perplexity, the O.Z. native reached for the golden tinted doorknob and turned it.

Pushing the door open, D.G. awkwardly walked inside of the bedchamber. Expecting it to be just as dark and dank as the rest of the Tower's décor, she was surprised to see the interior relatively bright and soft in color. Scanning the room, D.G. did not see her sister anywhere, which admittedly made her feel a bit better, as that was then evidently the reason why there hadn't been any sort of answer.

"Hmm. I guess maybe she went for a walk before bed or something," the sable tressed young woman murmured aloud to herself, exhaling lightly before turning around to leave the otherwise empty bedchamber.

Suddenly, D.G. could hear a peculiar, disembodied and strangled sort of sound coming towards the elegant looking bed in the distance behind her. Turning back around, heart pumping a bit faster, the blue eyed Savior cautiously walked over to the bed with all of her senses on high alert in case it was some sort of left over trap set for her.

Of all of the sights she'd expected to behold, the young Dorothy Gale had never expected to see this. For there, curled up within a tight ball on the floor at her bed's side, was the former Evil Sorceress Azkadelia, sobbing into her knees uncontrollably like a wounded, discarded creature. . . .

**-- End of Prologue**

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**(A.N. I like cliffhangers. LoL But it's not a bad set up for the next chapter and rest of the story, yeah? I think so, anyway. Just hope it all works out and I have the time to do it. Hope, too, that you review and let me know what you think. Thanks! Woo! LoL)**


	2. Chapter One

**Atonement's Echo**

**By: Sokai**

**Disclaimer:** I, Sokai, do not claim ownership to the workings of "Tin Man," an epic re-imagining of L. Frank Baum's _The Wonderful Wizard of Oz_ -- I leave that honor for this three-part television miniseries up to RHI Entertainment and SciFi Pictures original films (and Steven Long Mitchell as well as Craig W. Van Sickle for having written the teleplay). However, I can and DO claim to own this story and its inspired ideas FROM said miniseries.

Note: _Yay! My opener was "acceptable" for the majority of those who'd bothered to 1, read it, and 2, read AND let me know they obviously had. LoL Much obliged. And as a treat for you, the writing's pouring out of me for this story thus far so well that I can actually get chapter one out at a decent amount of time. Woo. LoL Now, for those also reading my "The Royal Guardian" story, no worries, because chapter 40 should be out within the week, since I'd been finished writing it. Gonna honestly try to just write and get out as many chapters for multiple stories as I can, if not posting them. So...yeah! Thanks!_

_Oh, and in case you hadn't gathered by the story's title and character categorization, this is a Azkadellia redemption story, and the aftermath of all she'd done and how she'll deal with that. Because she reminds me so much of Xena from Xena: Warrior Princess in that regard, that was my main motivation to write out this story. So bear with me! LoL_

_One more thing to the "newcomers" to my writing/stories. Just a head's up that since I'm in love with writing I tend to take as much time as possible to detail and descriptive text. So if you find that sometimes it's unbearable for you, sorry for that. But I also prefer to write each new story for whatever series as though the reader had never known about the series/people in the first place (hence the prologue recapping the other characters, rather than barrel into the new story head on)._

_So...right. Thanks! LoL_

_Enjoy!_

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This chapter was created/written in December 2007.

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**- ô Ô Chapter One Ô ô -**

"Oh, my God! _Azkadellia! _What _happened?_ What's the matter?" breathed a very alarmed D.G., instantly dropping to her knees and promptly enveloping her older sister-in-need within her arms. The distraught princess and ex-Evil Sorceress merely continued to sob uncontrollably into her pulled up knees, seemingly unable to hear her younger sibling having addressed her, or perhaps even unaware that she was there at all.

Nevertheless, D.G. remained ever persistent. When repeated call outs did not seem to work, she'd then begun to gently jostle the dark brunette's curled up body a bit, to see if that might not render her freed from whatever evidently plagued her.

"Oh, _c'mon_, Az . . . t . . . _talk_ to me. . . . Tell me what's wrong . . . I _just_ got you back! Do you think I'm just going to give up now? Let me _in_. . . ." pleaded D.G. within a desperate, increasingly frightened whisper.

Tears filtering into her _own_ eyes just then, she leaned forward and kissed the top of Azkadellia's soft, a bit disheveled head, before affectionately resting hers upon the older girl's shoulder. It was then that suddenly the crying ceased, and demulcent singing began to filter the bedchamber.

". . . Two little princesses dancing in a row . . . spinning fast and freely on their little toes. . . . Where the light will take them, no one ever knows. . . . Two little princesses dancing in a row. . . ." D.G. could hear Azkadellia lyrically speak with a distinctly fatigued, deplorable nature in between lingering sobs.

Looking up in surprise, the sable haired princess gazed with confused, widened eyes as she listened to her sister finish the last of their childhood nursery rhyme (that she, herself, had sung hours before, as one final, desperate attempt to separate Azkadellia from the Evil Witch of the Dark).

"Az. . . .? Are . . . you all right? I mean . . . you _are_ still you, right?" she queried in concern, subconsciously pulling away from the former possessed woman.

To D.G.'s relief, however, Azkadellia nodded slowly at the same time that she'd blinked just as sluggishly, peering down at the floor.

"Yes . . . it's still me, D.G. . . . ." she responded weakly, her voice barely above a whisper. She leaned her midnight brown colored head back against the pale wall behind her tiredly, bleak chocolate tinted orbs gradually moving up to lock with her sister's contrasting brilliant blue.

Unbeknownst to either girl, during that brief moment of renewed silence, each princess of the Outer Zone began to marvel at how different their physical appearances truly were. With her soft cerulean eyes filled with wide-eyed wonderment, D.G. resembled an honestly innocent, untainted beacon for light and all that it embodied.

Whereas, _Azkadellia_ admittedly _did_ appear to be quite the formidable foe, the way her long sea of shadowy hair resembled a never ending shroud of looming darkness over all that would oppose her . . . _her_ eyes unmoving, cold and vacant as those of a true villainess.

The sibling duo were the physical epitome of Light and Darkness. . . .

However, Azkadellia was _none_ of those things now. She was _not_ the sturdy pillar of unrelenting power she had always exuded throughout their encounters in the past three days. Nor was her voice reinforced with unparalleled vigor as normal.

No.

Right now, right at that moment, was a scared, lost little girl staring idly back at D.G. . . . . One who had been through fantastic hell, had at last buckled underneath the pressure and broke down.

And that was when it had all begun to make sense to the younger woman.

Azkadellia's doleful exhibition had merely been a façade, as a selfless mechanism to shield the rest of her family from further heartache than what she had already bestowed upon them. . . .

As though having been mentally privy to the last of her ruminations, D.G. suddenly heard Azkadellia say, gently, "Yes . . . I'd done it for _you_, Deege. . . . For you, Mother _and_ Father. . . ."

". . . Did what? You mean . . . pretending to be happy and all right, when you were truly _miserable_ inside? Why?" responded D.G. in honest sadness, posing a question to an answer she'd already figured out for herself.

Closing her despondent eyes, Azkadellia inhaled generously, before slowly releasing her breath out into the atmosphere.

". . . 'Where the light will take them, no one ever knows. . . .' Did you ever stop and wonder . . . wonder if those words had any sort of actual validity to them? I mean, when you were a child? Or now, even? _I_ hadn't . . . there was never a _need_ to . . . because I'd believed in 'the light' back then. . . . But, I suppose merely believing just wasn't enough . . . for the light had only led me straight into the darkness, regardless. . . ."

D.G. gasped with an immediate furrowing of her darkened brows upon hearing this.

". . . Wait . . . _don't_ do this to yourself, Az. . . . Do_ not_ blame yourself for the things that the Evil Witch of the Dark had been responsible for, because it _wasn't_ your doing!" vehemently challenged D.G., searching her sister's currently flaccid countenance to see if what was being said registered at all with her.

But Azkadellia merely scoffed, bitterly chuckling lightly before speaking again.

"Oh, D.G. . . . . If you only knew a mere fraction of the things I've done after you'd gone and I'd effortlessly usurped the throne away from Mother. . . . Because, by then, the Evil Witch of the Dark had grown _a lot_ stronger inside of me, having taken better control of my body and actions. . . . But I've nonetheless accomplished _many_ dastardly things that would make your head spin. . . ." she began with a heavy heart, her voice growing a bit hoarse while she continued. "I don't _have_ to fluidly remember every course of action that had been fulfilled to know that I'd ordered a _tremendous_ amount of people to be killed . . . or to have their lives otherwise destroyed along with the land and property they might have owned. . . . And _all_ because there had been those brave enough to try to _oppose_ me -- Like _you_. . . . All that misery, due to the sole fact that I'd been vigorously seeking the Emerald of the Eclipse to further perpetuate my reign of terror. . . ."

Azkadellia slowly reopened her eyes to peer straight into D.G.'s on that last note, both sisters' eyes beginning to renew with unshed tears.

". . . Yeah . . . b-but . . . Az, _listen_ to me. . . . What'd happened . . . _all_ of it . . . it _wasn't_ you. . . . It _wasn't_ your fault! It _wasn't!_ If _anything_, it had been my _own_ for not having been brave enough to stand by your side when it'd mattered most, and the Evil Witch the _Dark's_ doing to have wanted the Emerald and the willingness to trample over and _murder_ anyone or _anything_ who'd get in her way! You _can't_ blame yourself or be held _accountable!_ I _won't_ let you be!" cried out D.G. with honest incense, although her faintly husky voice cracked just a bit in the process. She then rested both of her hands onto the emotionally contorted female before her to exercise the emphasis and importance of her conviction.

Azkadellia, regardless, could only shake her head slowly, seeming to deflect the truth within D.G.'s words.

"No, Deege . . . it certainly hadn't been _your_ fault. . . ." she began to contest, before her little sister promptly straightened her posture and impatiently cut in.

"_No!_ Stop it! I'm _not_ going to let you _suffer_ like this, okay?? I'd _recovered_ that memory of when I'd left you alone with the Evil Witch! _Remember?_ I --"

"-- _Yes_, D.G. Yes . . . I _do_ remember _that_, at least. . . . But _you_ have to listen to _me_, now . . . when that'd happened . . . you _weren't_ not to blame. . . . You'd said it before, up on the Control Roof Terrace of the Tower when you were beginning to get through to me. How 'your adventures always have a habit of getting me into trouble. . . .' While that may have been . . . a _tad_ true in most cases, I, as the older sister, could have just as easily said no. . . . '_No_, D.G.! _You_ won't go and _I_ won't, either! You're too _young!_' But I never did . . . I never denied you. . . ."

D.G. began to smile softly at this, touched by Azkadellia's increasingly touching admission which instilled a bit more hope inside of her that perhaps her older sister was on the mend, after all.

". . . Because you _love_ me . . . and wanted to see me _happy_. . . . Which proves you're _good_ at _heart_, Az! You've _always_ been!" she remarked, gently stroking her sibling's shoulders up and down at the same time.

". . . It was _more_ than that, I realize now . . . I now _truly_ believe . . . that all that'd occurred that day was _meant_ to happen. . . . That _I_ was the one meant to have been captured by the Evil Witch of the Dark. . . . I _also_ believe that I'd always gone on one of your crazy adventures because, deep down, I was _jealous_. . . ."

D.G. stared back at Azkadellia with a profoundly incredulous nature, her mouth slightly agape.

"_Jealous??_"

"Yes . . . of your _tenacity_ . . . your _zeal_ for life and of the unknown at such a young age. . . . But . . . _most_ of all, I think my jealousy was mainly due to your magical ability. . . . For, while still so young and an honest novice at it, you'd _already_ seemed to possess _such_ great magic, more than _I_ had at your age. Even Mother had been aware of that . . . which was probably why at times it'd honestly felt like _you_ were her most treasured, even _before_ the Evil Witch had seized me. . . ."

A single tear shed from D.G.'s blue eyes hearing this, trickling down her pale cheek as she spoke.

"_No_ . . . Az --"

"-- _I_ may have helped you focus upon your gifts more efficiently, but between the two of us, _you_ were the _true_ master. . . ." Azkadellia interrupted with a faint, sad smile and raise of her bare hand, before resting a single finger upon D.G.'s rosy lips.

Frowning gently in frustration, D.G. maneuvered her head away from her sister's appendage and leaned back slightly in order to be able to express her compiling consternation.

"_What_ are you _talking_ about? I've _seen_ the things _you_ can do! _Boy_, have I seen the things you can do! Teleportation? _Miniaturization??_ I could just _barely_ manage that spinning doll trick that you and 'Toto' had helped me with when we were kids! And do you know _why_ I did?? _Ultimately_, because of _you!_" concluded D.G. forcefully, her formerly stern facial expression beginning to soften with a gentle smile. She'd chosen to mentally block out the knowledge that she'd _also_ mastered said mystical technique due to Azkadellia's having magically transported and then entombing her within their ancestor and D.G.'s namesake, Dorothy Gale's mauseleum. . . .

Azkadellia seemed to have recalled the same unfortunate happening, as well, for she suddenly shivered a bit, wrapping her arms around her bare arms in self-comfort.

"D.G., _please_ . . . you _can't_ deny the things that I've done, the things I've felt in the past, _or_ what _you're_ capable of. You really _are_ capable of _so_ much more than you yet realize. And if I _hadn't_ been so weak and allowed the Evil Witch of the Dark to take a hold of me, _you'd_ have been able to remain here within the O.Z. to continue with your magical studies. . . . But I _was_ vulnerable . . . because my feelings of inadequacy and secret desire to measure up to you _and_ your magic had been enough for her to penetrate through my resolve to not allow her dominate me after you'd run off. . . . She'd _sensed_ my yearning to grow stronger, and so then used my body as _well_ asmagic to her own fulfillment. . . ." she admitted with a heavy sigh, unable to gaze at her younger sibling out of great shame. She could not bear to know what D.G. was thinking right at that moment in regards to her, if her feelings and loyalty had changed -- Although she could not blame her within the slightest if she did.

Not wishing to hear any sort of response quite yet, Azkadellia promptly forced herself to continue, squeezing her dark brown eyes shut in emotionally swelling pain and anguish.

"Ohh, D.G.! D.G. . . . _D.G._ . . . As much as I'd fight her in the beginning . . . as much as I'd resisted and tried my best _not_ to allow my inner remaining light to be extinguished . . . over time the fight had simply become too _great_ -- Especially once she'd started to show me what she could do with my innate magical gifts coupled with her own. . . . Suddenly, I _was_ strong -- _Much_ stronger than I ever was before . . . and although it'd come from a dark and evil source, the boost was nonetheless intoxicating. . . .

The Evil Witch of the Dark _knew_ this, and preyed further upon my unfortunate insecurities by telling me how she'd _never_ abandon me in the way that Father and then you had. . . . And I know that she was _wrong_ in saying these things, D.G. -- I _do_. . . . But, after a while, after having spent ten years, one right after the other, _trapped_ as her prisoner and she having ultimately been the only sort of 'companion' I'd had left within my 'new' life . . . those constant reminders and power enhancement was more of the reality than any other prior to. . . ."

D.G. hadn't even the slightest inclination of what to say upon finished listening to her emotionally fragmented sister pour the last of her wounded heart out. But she _did_ know, for sure, that whether or not she had been within the Outer Zone to know of all of this first hand, she would _still_ find herself unable to completely believe that, all along did her older sibling harbor such emotions in regard to D.G. and her magic.

That, the way D.G. viewed Azkadellia was in fact how Azkadellia saw her in turn.

And she'd have felt profoundly honored and flattered by this, if said confession had not also made her feel all the _more_ at fault for the way the once peaceful and resoundingly stable Outer Zone had turned out . . . and her sister, as well. . . .

One thing that was for absolutely certain, was that _never_ had D.G. asked or desired to be born with magical prowess, let _alone_ be seemingly more powerful than anyone else. And if she could, she would gladly trade those fortified talents with Azkadellia in a heartbeat.

And D.G. had said precisely that.

"Oh, God . . . Az . . . you _gotta_ know that . . . i-if I could _somehow_ g-give it _all_ to you, o-or make it so that _you_ were stronger -- Which I _still_ firmly believe you _are_ -- then I --"

"-- Shh. . . . It's all right . . . I understand, Deege. . . . But . . . you must understand me and all that I've told and gravely admitted to you. I may not have _wanted_ the Evil Witch of the Dark to pronounce me as her thrall, but she nonetheless had. . . . And she'd probably called out to you on that day as a way to lure _me_ down into the cave to her, I don't know. . . ." Azkadellia tiredly trailed off, her eyes reopened once more as she lightly rubbed at her temples to lull her forming headache. "All that I _do_ know for sure, with this still pretty hazy mind of mine, is that what had transpired within the past decade was ultimately actuated by _my_ hand and at _my_ command, regardless . . . and no matter _how_ many times I shall wash my hands within the future, the _betrayal_ of what I'd carried out and the blood shed in my name will _never_ be removed from them. . . ."

D.G. could no longer stand any more heartache. She clasped both of her hands tightly together, beginning to plead with her desolate, renewed familial companion as the tears freely began to fall.

"_Please_, Azkadellia, my sister! I _beg_ of you . . . For the final, _absolute_ time, what's happened to the Outer Zone _has_ been bad, yes! I _won't_ deny that! But, i-if we _just_ continue to fix things a-and make reparations as we've _all_ already begun to do, t-then in _time_ --"

"-- _No_, D.G. This is my _own_ cross to bear -- _Alone_, and alone I shall. . . ." said Azkadellia with a sudden renewal of strength within her voice, reaching out to stroke her woeful sister's cheek in comfort. "And even though I am keenly aware that _no_ amount of act can or will even _begin_ to remedy the chaos that I'd caused, I _am_ still going to try, no matter _what_ you continue to tell me to sway my feeling upon the matter. . . ."

D.G. continued to sniffle with heartbreaking misery, tilting her ebony colored head to the side as her moist face scrunched up like a little child.

"Wh . . . what are you saying? What are you trying to tell me right now, Azkadellia?" she managed to sob out weakly, mimicking her older sister's action from before by squeezing her own weeping eyes shut, seeming to have suddenly switched places with her.

And this sight and knowing that D.G. was currently in so much pain had caused Azkadellia to feel all the more remorseful for every last vile act she had done as Evil Sorceress of the O.Z.

If only she had been stronger. . . . If _only_. . . .

Exhaling slowly, she tried to verbally deliver, as delicately as possible, "That . . . as soon as things are first more squared away and secure here, I am leaving. . . ."

Azkadellia watched in increased sadness as D.G.'s eyes swiftly flew open at this, wrenching herself away from the older girl's gentle embrace.

"_Leave??_ No! You _can't!_ You have to _stay_ with me! Your place is _with_ me! With your _family_, who all _love_ you _dearly!_" she cried, piercing blue eyes practically boring a hole straight into Azkadellia's forehead at the sheer force of her current gaze.

But Azkadellia trudged on, willing herself to block out her pain for her sister.

"I understand that, D.G., but I can't just hide behind others and secured walls of fortresses forever . . . I have to _face_ my sins and those I'd harmed head on. . . . If they're _ever_ going to forgive me, if not _forget_ all that I had done, then I _must_ do this. . . ." she finished, her voice faltering a moment at the very end, as the sight of yet another tear cascading down D.G.'s milky white cheek was almost too much for her to handle.

Using the back of her naked arm, D.G. promptly wiped those new tears away from her face as the sadness she'd been feeling up until then began to become replaced with swift and justifiable anger.

"But _why_ must you? Do you have _any_ idea how _dangerous_ it will be if the O.Z.'s formerly most virulent woman went out there, _unguarded_, to -- To _what??_ Try to _atone_ for things that were out of her control?? Things she can't even _remember_ doing that clearly? Why? _Why_ do you feel you _have_ to do this, Azkadellia?? Tell me!!" demanded D.G. heatedly, deeply frowning expectantly at the other woman for a good answer.

Beginning to feel herself growing just as on edge as her younger counterpart for her apparent lack of understanding, Azkadellia, with a light scowl of her own, swiftly responded, "Because it's the right thing to _do_, D.G.! I _may_ not be as strong as I was before, and it may very _well_ be true that I'll be met with fierce animosity from those who would seek out swift retribution . . . but I will face all that comes my way because it _is_ truly the right thing to do!"

Unable to formulate further words after hearing her sister's returned outburst, both D.G. and Azkadellia merely sat in silence once more, allowing both of their growing choler to subside in the meantime. After several minutes had passed and she'd truly felt as though she'd completely calmed down, D.G. softly queried, "So . . . _what_, then? You just _leave_, traverse throughout the _entire_ Outer Zone, righting wrongs that are not yours to fix in the _first_ place I will say yet again, until you've felt you've _redeemed_ yourself??"

Azkadellia let out another tired, small exhale and inclined her dark brown head in confirmation.

"Clearly, I know that _no_ amount of what I'll do will really ever abolish my transgressions, D.G. . . . but yes, this is the plan. I owe that much to our people to at _least_ try," she replied, her voice returning to its whithered, lackadaisical state from before.

D.G. shook her head lightly at the same time she'd then completely covered her face with both hands, struggling greatly to, at the very least, comprehend her sister's intentions if she could not bring herself to be all right with them.

Expelling her own breath into her palms roughly before pulling them away, D.G. dropped them onto her lap as she gazed back at an awaiting Azkadellia and tentatively asked, ". . . But for how long do you honestly plan on doing this? Being away? Because I gotta tell you that I'm not at _all_ thrilled about this, at the risk of sounding insensitive and inconsiderate," she began, slowly shaking her darkened head as though for emphasis. "And if you _have_ to do this, then at _least_ let me go _with_ you! _Me_, and Mr. _Cain_, Gli -- I mean, _Ambrose_, and Raw, _too_, if they're all up to it! I don't care! Just . . . above all _else_, though, you and I _have_ to stick together. Remember? 'We're _strongest_ if we stay together.' So, since you seem so _adamant_ on pursuing this . . . 'walk the Earth' pilgrimage, then I _will_ be coming _with_ you no matter _what_ you say. _End_ of story."

Azkadellia immediately felt herself become fear-stricken and admittedly a bit outraged at her little sister's formulated notion. It was one thing for _her_ to venture out into the freshly liberated land of the Outer Zone, but to risk any harm to befall one of the most cherished beings in her life if allowing their accompaniment was simply asking far too much.

"Absolutely not, D.G.! I couldn't ever say 'no' to you before when we were kids, but I'm going to honestly have to right now!" she managed to speak firmly, straightening her posture to accentuate her assumed authority upon the matter at that moment. "It'd been far too dangerous to have _me_, of all people, as your companion. And, besides! Someone needs to remain at Mother's side until she is better recuperated. It'd be greatly unwise to leave her unattended right now."

Despite being all too aware of the truth within her sister's words, D.G. nonetheless did not care. At the moment, none of that mattered to her.

"Nice _try_, Az, because Mom _won't_ be 'unattended' even _if_ I go with you, because she has _Dad_ again, and all of the soldiers back on _her_ side to safeguard her until she _does_ get better like you said," she countered with sturdy rationalization, a small smirk formulation upon her once distressed visage.

Azkadellia's face, too, began to relax a bit then, impressed with the other girl's determination.

"_Deege_ --"

"-- Either you forget all about this and stay here with me, or I'm _going_ to go with you. But in _either_ scenario, I _won't_ leave you ever again. . . ." Azkadellia listened to her younger sister announce touchingly, feeling her heart lightly swell with emotions she'd thought had long since vanished.

She couldn't help but to chuckle softly at this, her first, genuine laugh and simper of all those previously issued throughout the evening.

"If there's _one_ thing I can remember for absolutely certain, it would be that you're _just_ as stubborn and headstrong _now_ as you were as a _child_. . . ." she attempted to jest lightheartedly, reaching out to playfully tug upon one of D.G.'s strands of long black hair. "But . . . all right, D.G. You win. . . . You're right. You really are. If I want to make amends, I will. But always with _you_ by my side. . . . I will stay. . . ."

D.G. nearly squealed with delight as she heard this, as all former doubt and worry instantly evaporated from her insides and she was truly happy once more.

"Ah! _Finally!_ A _breakthrough!_" joked D.G. with profuse glee, immediately embracing her sister tightly. "_Thank_ you. . . . It _will_ get better and easier with time . . . I _promise_. . . ."

Azkadellia's head bobbed up and down a bit against D.G.'s shoulder as she merely nodded while returning the hug, her face falling a bit at this.

Although she knew that her younger sister's words were meant to solely make her feel better, it did nothing of the sort. For she knew, deep down, that things were only going to get a lot _worse_ from that point on, and that nothing would _ever_ be the same again. . . .

**-- End of Chapter One**

* * *

**(A.N. YES! Done! Praise Jeebus Crisp! LoL Took my most of my evening to edit this bad boy, and I'm beat, so DON'T bother to point out mistakes I may have unfortunately missed despite the usual thorough scouring. But yeah. I hadn't realized how long it was until I'd typed it out, after I'd finished writing it manually before I'd gone to bed last night. But yeah. Not a bad length for the first "official" chapter, I guess, yeah? I mean, this is short to me, six pages, but only because I usually dish out far more than that for one chapter. But enjoy it, anyway, kiddies. LoL Now chapter two's gonna be a real prick, because I'll have to bother to showcase what ALL of us who'd watched the entire miniseries wanted to know and see with the rest of the characters. That is, did Glitch get his brain back? Did Cain go back to his son, Jeb, or stay to help put things in order with D.G. and her family? Did Raw leave as well, or stay? And all that jazz. Curses, my love of writing and attention to detail, or else I'd let my natural laziness win out and not bother. LoL Thanks for reading, again, and reviews if you leave 'em!)**


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